OFFICE OF CUBA BROADCASTING SHOULD BE RESTRUCTURED TO EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE ITS ORIGINAL OBJECTIVES

PRESS STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            February 4, 2009

FOR MORE INFORMATION:                           CAMILA GALLARDO

                                                                                305-215-4259

OFFICE OF CUBA BROADCASTING SHOULD BE RESTRUCTURED TO EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE ITS ORIGINAL OBJECTIVES

Today the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report regarding the performance of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) which oversees the operations of both Radio and Television Marti. The report cites a series of problems with management, oversight, and programming content and provides a body of recommendations to address those concerns.  

The Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) and its founder, Jorge Mas Canosa, were instrumental in the creation of Radio and Television Marti. Our vision was to provide a vehicle to break Castro's regime-imposed censorship and broadcast unbiased information which incorporated the views and opinions of a broad spectrum of Cuban society. After years of mismanagement, a lack of strategy and proper oversight controls, OCB has been allowed to stray from its original mission.

The Cuban American National Foundation firmly believes in the importance of maintaining broadcasts to Cuba. However, given the current environment, we believe immediate action should be taken to restore the agency's standing and effectiveness. We recommend that OCB:

• Develop a clear strategy with timelines and program markers that allow for proper measurement of program successes or failures;
• Increase broadcasts of programming that features the participation of civil society members in Cuba;
• Diversify programming to include a wider array of views and opinions;
• Broadcast impartial news and information that is not editorialized and that allows listeners to formulate their own opinions;
• Focus the agency's budget on funding methods of transmission that have been proven to be effective in penetrating the Castro regime's jamming;

Transmission of news and information to Cuba is critical during this time of uncertainty and its role will no doubt increase in importance during a period of political transition in Cuba. We need to immediately address these issues so that OCB programs are once again reflective of the needs and opinions of its target audience inside Cuba, thereby assuring that its role as an effective tool of democracy promotion in Cuba is restored.

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